Eight and a half million UK adults can’t do the basic stuff online.
This summit is for people already dealing with the digital divide. Whether you are from a council, community group, charity, library, college, business, or university we all have a role to play
The programme.
The day is bookended by civic voices — the Mayor of Bournemouth opening, Paul Finnis of the NextPath Device Consortium closing — and built around two practitioner panels that bring councils, community organisations, and the third sector into the same room.
The middle of the day focusses on the work of DonateIT making the case for circular-economy models to solve the dual problems of climate change and digital access.
Programme subject to change — confirmed speakers below
Networking & light refreshments
Registration, name badges, and tech amnesty drop-off opens in the Fusion Building foyer.
Welcome & framing the day
- Speakers
-
- Cllr Jackie Edwards — Mayor of Bournemouth
Digital Inclusion, A BCP Perspective
- Speaker
- Cllr Fiona Hughes — Head of Modern Workplace, BCP Council
Civic impact and the role of universities
Reflecting on his extensive national and international experinces Professor Gerry Greyling discusses the evolving civic role of Bournemouth University & universities generally.
- Speaker
- Prof. Gerry Greyling — Chief Operating Officer, Bournemouth University
The wicked problem of digital inclusion
Reflecting on his experiences as a Computer Scientist turned community-based educator, Dr Phil shares his experiences working in the Boscombe Digital Skills Hub.
- Speaker
- Dr Phil Wilkinson — Principal Academic in Communications, BU
Experiences at the digital divide
A diverse panel of people working at the frontline of the digital divide share their experiences, including what they have learned and what has surpised them.
- Facilitator
- Dr Phil Wilkinson
- Panellists
-
- Rachel Doe — Project Manager, BCP
- Tom Ormerod — Director of IT, Bournemouth University
- Jude King — Project Manager, Resource Futures
- Dr John Bradford — Founder, DigiLocal
- Anne Hills — Councillor, Frome Town Council
Lunch, networking & student showcase
Meet local providers and see student work from across The Media School.
Closing the digital divide: the role of devices & the circular economy
BlackmoreUK, DonateIT and The Royal Mint come together to address a key barrier to digital inclusion: access to usable devices. They will demonstrate how circular economy models can unlock the value of surplus technology, extending its life for social good, while ensuring responsible recycling at end-of-life through The Royal Mint — helping to fund further charitable impact.
- Facilitator
- Simon Barfoot
- Panellists
-
- Steve Edmunds — Chairman, BlackmoreUK
- Chris Young — Head of Client Services, BlackmoreUK
- Steve Girling — Head of IT and Governance, BlackmoreUK
- Bethany Evans — Manager, The Royal Mint
Looking forward — social sustainability and digital futures
Government, university, enterprise, and further education representatives look forward and discuss how we can create socially-sustainable solutions.
- Facilitator
- Ian Jones
- Panellists
-
- Penny Sydall — Head of Digital Inclusion, Dorset Council
- Gordon Fong — Director, Sustainability & Social Value, X-Net
- Dr Mili Shrivastava — Principal Academic in Strategy, BU
- Katie Stafford — Assistant Principal, Futures & Community, Magna
Reflections at the digital divide
Paul Finnis share his experiences having spent over 3 decades working to fix the digital divide internationally
- Speaker
- Paul Finnis — Co-Director, The NextPath Device Consortium
Closing remarks
Final thoughts from co-organizers
- Speakers
-
- Dr Emmanuella Ejime-Okereafor
- Dr Phil Wilkinson
Tech Amnesty
Across the day, we'll be accepting laptops, tablets, phones and accessories in the Fusion Building foyer.
Every device is data-wiped to UK government standard by our local partner DonateIT, refurbished, and routed back into the community.
What we accept
- Laptops & Chromebooks (any age, working or not)
- Tablets, iPads & e-Readers
- Smartphones & dumb phones
- Chargers, cables & peripherals
- Monitors, mice & keyboards
Venue & travel.
Fusion Building
Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus
Fern Barrow, Poole BH12 5BB
By train
Bournemouth station is the nearest mainline stop, on the South Western Railway line from London Waterloo. From the station, take the U1 Unibus towards Talbot Campus (approx. 20 minutes). The campus stop is a three-minute walk from the Fusion Building.
Accessibility
The Fusion Building has step-free access, accessible WCs on every floor, and a hearing loop in the main auditorium. All sessions are BSL-interpreted and live-captioned. A quiet room is available throughout the day. If you have access requirements we can plan for in advance, email pwilkinson@bournemouth.ac.uk.
By car
Use postcode BH12 5BB. Visitor parking is available in Talbot Car Park (pay-and-display, step-free route to Fusion). Blue-badge bays sit closest to the Fusion entrance.
By bus
Routes U1, U2, m1, m2 and 17 all serve Talbot Campus. Live times on the Morebus and Yellow Buses apps; buses are wheelchair-accessible.